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| Barnabas' toy soldier | |
| Type: | Toy |
| Continuity: | Dark Shadows |
| Aliases: | None |
| Availability: | Unique item |
| Owners: | Barnabas Collins |
| 1st appearance: | Dark Shadows: 370 |
Barnabas' toy soldier is a fictional item featured in the original 1960s daytime Gothic soap opera Dark Shadows. It played a small, yet key role in a storyline commonly referred to as the "1795 Flashback". The toy first appeared in episode 370 in November, 1967.
Description & History[]
This simple wooden toy soldier was a plaything of Barnabas Collins' while he was growing up as a child in Collinsport, Maine in the mid-late 18th century. According to his uncle, Jeremiah Collins, the soldier was a "member of the regiment" and was his favorite toy growing up. Years after Barnabas had grown up and put away such childish things, the toy still had a home in the playroom at the original Collins estate. [1]
In 1795, Angelique Bouchard came upon the toy, which she allegedly found behind a chest in the servants' quarters. She addressed it to Jeremiah who confirmed that it did in fact belong to his nephew. Jeremiah offered to return it to the playroom, but Angelique feigned fascination with the toy, and asked if she could hold onto it for a short while. Jeremiah could not have guessed at the time that Angelique was actually a witch, who intended on using the toy as the instrument through which she would cause Barnabas great suffering. In combination with a handkerchief, Angelique turned the toy soldier into a veritable voodoo doll and tied the handkerchief around it's neck, which in turn, caused Barnabas to double over in pain, unable to breathe. [2][3]